35

F
or centuries, the development of the embryo remained a
mystery. Ancient civilizations conceived of innumerable
theories to explain the phenomenon, including the
worshipping of females as the source of life, or, as the Greek
Pythagoras of Samos believed, the sperm contained a fully-formed
person that grew when it encountered the egg [1]. Though modern
hindsight proves such theories false, a quick glance at an ancient
Judaic text dating back to Tanaic times, called a braita, provides an
incredibly accurate insight into human embryologic development.
This particular braita, as understood by Rashi (Brachot 60a),
enumerates a chronological list of prayers for the husband to recite
immediately following sexual intercourse. For the frst three days,
the husband prays for a sperm to be received by the egg. From day
three until forty after conception, the husband prays for the fetus
to be male. From the fortieth day until the conclusion of three
months, the husband prays for healthy fetal development, while
from the conclusion of the third to the conclusion of the sixth
month, he prays for no miscarriage. Finally, during the fnal three
months, the husband prays that the fetuss exit from the womb
should be in peace (i.e., an uncomplicated birth).
According to this braita, gender is established by the fortieth day,
yet, in a different tractate (Niddah 30b), Rabbi Yishmael notes
that it takes eighty days from conception for the fetal sex to fully
develop, which seems to contradict the braita [1]. Thankfully, the
Torah Umadda approach can resolve this supposed contradiction
by incorporating modern sciences understanding of human
embryologic development. All somatic cells of a female fetus
have two X chromosomes, while those of a male fetus have
one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. Internally, in early
embryologic development, the developing fetus has bipotential
gonads, which have the potential to develop either into testes or
ovaries. It is the presence of a Y chromosome that determines the
sex of the fetus.
Girl, Boy, or Somewhere in Between?
Sarah Nagar
The Y chromosome contains the gene, sex-determining region
of the Y (SRY), which, when activated, encodes a protein (testes
determining factor, or TDF) that programs the undifferentiated
fetal gonads to develop as testes. TDF, a transcription factor,
thereby stimulates the development of testes, which in turn secrete
testosterone, leading to the development of internal and external
male reproductive structures. In the absence of a Y chromosome,
or more specifcally in the absence of the SRY gene, by default, the
undifferentiated gonads develop as ovaries and the fetus is female.
Stated simply, the gender of a fetus is determined by the presence
or absence of the SRY gene [2, 3].
Returning to the supposed contradiction, the braita implies that
it took forty days from conception until the fetus was directed
to maleness. What is so special about 40 days after conception?
Apparently, activation of the SRY gene occurs at about the 6
th

week of gestation. Once activated, the biochemical processes are
ignited towards maleness, and praying for a male child after this
time is useless. However, as Rabbi Yishmael claims in the tractate
of Niddah, 80 days after conception is the critical time. It is now
known that the fetus is female (i.e., XX, without a Y chromosome),
therefore, by default, at about day 80 after conception, when the
undifferentiated gonads are programmed to develop as ovaries.
Between these forty and eighty days, as the fetus, through the SRY
gene, has had the potential to form as a male but did not, faws
could still occur on the chromosomes. Consequently, when Rabbi
Yishmael states that one can determine the sex of a female gender
only by the 80
th
day, it does not imply that the fetus is gender-less
for those forty days, but rather by the 80
th
day the fetus is offcially
established to have developed as a female, without any errors on the
chromosomes. As modern sciences understandings of embryonic
development advance, a Torah Umadda approach makes it
apparent that there was no contradiction between the braita and the
statements of Rabbi Yishmael.
Acknowledgements:
First and foremost, I would like to express my Hakarat HaTov to Hashem for everything that has led me up this point in my life,and for creating a world
in which incredible connections between Torah and Madda can be found. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Babich for providing me with
the opportunity to take part in this journal and further discover the links between Torah UMadda. I would like to thank my parents for teaching me to
always question and to always search for answers, and my brother, Natan, who helped edit this article. Finally, Id like to give a heartfelt thank you to all the
readers.
References:
[1] Poltorak, L., (2009). On the Embryological Foresight of the Talmud. BOr HaTorah, 19: Pgs 19-24
[2] http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/SRY
[3] Lewis. R., 2008, Human Genetics, 8
th
edition, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, NY, NY.